Attachment system with reinforcing coating

ABSTRACT

An attachment system can include a plurality of apertures or openings in an attachment platform. The openings can be arranged in a pattern corresponding to a hexagon so that an attachment member for an accessory (such as a MOLLE-compatible accessory) may be passed through one or more of the openings so as to attach the accessory in any of a variety of different directions. The attachment platform can include a reinforcing coating that includes polyurea, such as a polyurea/polyurethane blend.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-in-Part Application of U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/454,641, filed Aug. 7,2014, titled “HEXAGONAL ATTACHMENT SYSTEM,” the full disclosure of whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Equipment, especially that used in tactical scenarios, can be attachedto a garment on an individual or other equipment in a number of ways.MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) is load-bearingequipment and rucksacks utilized by the United States armed forces. TheMOLLE system is modular and permits the attachment of variousMOLLE-compatible accessories, such as holsters, magazine pouches, radiopouches, knife sheathes, and other gear to MOLLE-compatible load-bearinggarments, such as vests, backpacks, and jackets.

The MOLLE system's modularity is derived from the use of web platformson load-bearing garments. For example, PALS (Pouch Attachment LadderSystem) web platforms can be included on the load-bearing garments. PALSwebbing includes rows of heavy-duty nylon stitched onto the vest orother load-bearing garment so as to allow for attachment ofMOLLE-compatible accessories.

PALS webbing is attached to load-bearing garments in a grid structure.The PALS grid consists of horizontal rows of 1 inch (2.54 centimeters)nylon webbing (most commercial vendors use Type IIIa), spaced 1 inch(2.54 centimeters) apart, and reattached, typically via stitching, tothe backing at 1.5 inch (3.81 centimeters) intervals. This consistentreattachment forms, for each strap, a series of upwardly and downwardlyopened loops. The loops for adjacent straps are aligned so that a seriesof loops are stacked one on top of each other. This pattern providessecure and stable attachment for MOLLE accessories. As such, PALSstructures and other objects that can provide secure and stableattachment for MOLLE accessories are generally collectively termed MOLLEattachment systems.

The following references may be relevant to this technology: U.S. Pat.No. 5,185,195, U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,707, U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,570, U.S.Pat. No. 7,200,871, U.S. Pat. No. 7,526,842, U.S. Pat. No. 7,644,449,U.S. Pat. No. 7,917,968, U.S. Pat. No. 8,002,159, U.S. Pat. No.8,079,503, U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,312, U.S. Pat. No. 8,490,213, U.S. PatentPublication No. 2007/0289045, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0117300,U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0025560, U.S. Patent Publication No.2012/0180189, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0126566, U.S. PatentPublication No. 2013/0256498, Patent Cooperation Treaty Publication No.WO 2013/096110, Patent Cooperation Treaty Publication No. WO2013/022976, Patent Cooperation Treaty Publication No WO 2010/046664,and Patent Cooperation Treaty Publication No. WO 2009/151643.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of theinvention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention.This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to presentsome embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

In accordance with embodiments, a mounting system is provided having aload-bearing platform and a hexagonal substrate. The load-bearingplatform includes at least a portion of a garment or a pack. Thehexagonal substrate includes an attachment platform connected to theload-bearing platform. The hexagonal substrate further includes aplurality of hexagonal openings formed in the attachment platform. Thehexagonal openings are arranged in a repeating hexagonal patternconfigured to facilitate attachment of MOLLE-compatible accessories tothe attachment platform along any of at least three differing axes.

Additional embodiments are directed to a hexagonal substrate for asystem configured to attach equipment to a wearable load-bearingplatform. The hexagonal substrate includes an attachment platformconfigured for connection with the load-bearing platform. The hexagonalsubstrate further includes a plurality of openings formed in theattachment platform and arranged in a repeating hexagonal patternconfigured to facilitate attachment of MOLLE-compatible accessories tothe attachment platform along any of at least three differing axes.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentinvention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed descriptionand accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a vest outfitted with known MOLLE attachment systems.

FIG. 2 illustrates a vest outfitted with a hexagonal attachment systemaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates mounting equipment to a hexagonal attachment systemaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates equipment mounted to the hexagonal attachment systemaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an arrangement of openings of the hexagonalattachment system according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 6 through 11 illustrate examples of orientations at whichequipment can be mounted via a hexagonal attachment system according toembodiments.

FIGS. 12 and 13 respectively illustrate a front view and a rear view ofan attachment system component featuring a reinforcing coating accordingto embodiments.

FIG. 14 illustrates a vest outfitted with other attachment systemcomponents having reinforcing coating according to embodiments.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an example process that may beutilized to produce attachment systems featuring a reinforcing coatingaccording to embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, various embodiments will be described. Forpurposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments.However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that theembodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore,well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscurethe embodiment being described.

Embodiments herein are directed to attachment systems. Referring now tothe drawings, in which features that are identified by differingreference numerals across different drawings but share common names inthe description herein may refer to features that may or may not differacross embodiments, FIG. 1 illustrates a vest 100 having knownattachment systems 102 and 112.

A traditional MOLLE attachment system 102 can include a plurality ofrows 104, 106, and 108, each including a number of loops 110. The loops110 are commonly formed by webbing stitched down at regular intervals.For example, in a commonly used configuration, stitching is placed sothat loops 110 have a width just over 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) so as tobe configured to receive or accommodate attachment members up to 1 inch(2.54 centimeters) in width. Attachment members can be passed throughloops 110 of successive rows 104, 106, and/or 108 to hold equipment orobjects with respect to the vest 100. As may be appreciated, onelimitation of such a traditional MOLLE attachment system 102 is thatequipment can only be attached in a single orientation, even though theobject can be attached at various locations on the vest 100 using theattachment system 102.

Other existing attachment systems can allow MOLLE-compatible items to beattached in either a vertical or a horizontal orientation. For example,the attachment system 112 includes a stretchable web platform that canfacilitate such attachment and is described more fully in U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/094,583, entitled“GARMENT WITH CARRYING SYSTEM,” filed Dec. 2, 2013 (Attorney Docket No.93168-888229), which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 61/732,165 (Attorney Docket No. 93168-831642 (001200US)), filed onNov. 30, 2012, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference. In either attachment system 102 or 112 depicted inFIG. 1, MOLLE-compatible items may be attached by hooking or weaving afeature of the item into the structure of the attachment system 102 or112.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a vest 200 having a hexagonalattachment system 202. The hexagonal attachment system 202 can provide agreater number of attachment orientations than known attachment systems,such as the attachment systems 102 or 112. The hexagonal attachmentsystem 202 can include an attachment platform 208 having a plurality ofapertures or openings 204. The openings 204 can be hexagonally shapedand/or arranged in a hexagonal network, as is discussed in greaterdetail below with reference to FIG. 5. As such, the attachment platform208 can provide a number of different options for orientation of itemsattached via the openings 204 of the attachment platform 208.

In some embodiments, the openings 204 can be separated by a plurality oflinks 206. Any suitable manner of forming the network of openings 204and links 206 may be utilized, including, but not limited to, cuttingthe openings 204 in a material or weaving portions of a material to formlinks 206 that define boundaries of the openings 204. The openings 204can be arranged so that an attachment member (such as a hook, portion ofwebbing, or strip of rigid or semi-rigid material) may be passed througha number of the openings 204 (e.g., over and/or under a number of links206) so as to attach equipment or gear to the vest 200.

Furthermore, although the hexagonal attachment system 202 is describedin relation to a vest 200 with respect to FIG. 2 and elsewhere herein,any load-bearing platform may form an appropriate foundation for thehexagonal attachment system 202. Non-limiting examples of load-bearingplatforms with which hexagonal attachment system 202 may be utilizedinclude any suitable portion of a garment, clothing, pants, a shirt, ajacket, a vest, a girdle, a pack, a pouch, a holster, a sheath, anammunition clip, gear, equipment, and/or an accessory thereof.

The attachment platform 208 can be attached, connected, or integral withthe vest 200. In some aspects, the attachment platform 208 can beconnected to a backing structure 210 at positions between openings (suchas described in greater detail below with respect to the connections 560and 562 depicted in FIG. 5). In alternative aspects, the attachmentplatform 208 may be connected to the backing structure 210 withoutconnections between openings 208 (such as by the stitching solely abouta perimeter of the attachment platform 208 depicted in FIG. 2). Althoughthe backing structure 210 is depicted in FIG. 2 as a separate interposedand attached piece between the vest 200 and the attachment platform 208,in some aspects, the backing structure 210 may be an integral portion ofthe vest 200. In some embodiments, the openings 204 are formed directlyin the material of the vest 200 and the backing structure 210 is notpresent. In some embodiments, neither the vest 200 nor the backingstructure 210 is present, and the openings 204 are formed directly in astand-alone attachment platform 208 (see for example FIGS. 6-11).

Any suitable material or combination of materials can be used in thehexagonal attachment system 202. For example, the attachment platform208 and/or the backing structure 210 can include any suitableload-bearing material, including, but not limited to, nylon, rubber, andextruded polymers. Furthermore, the attachment platform 208 and/or thebacking structure 210 can include any substrate formed of anysingle-layer or multi-layer construction.

The attachment platform 208 and/or backing structure 210 can beconnected to the vest 200 by any suitable mechanism, including, but notlimited to, stitching, hook and loop fasteners, bonding, or fusing. FIG.3 illustrates a further example of a way in which a hexagonal attachmentsystem 302 may be connected to a surface 326. For example, the surface326 may be a portion of the vest 100, and the hexagonal attachmentsystem 302 may attach to a known MOLLE-compatible attachment system 102or 112 to retrofit the vest 100. An attachment platform 308 containingopenings 304 of the hexagonal attachment system 302 may be affixed to afront side of a backing structure 310, such as by stitching about aperimeter of the attachment platform 308. A first set of loops 320 maybe attached to a rear side of the backing structure 310. The first setof loops 320 may align with a second set of loops 322 mounted to thesurface 326.

An attachment member 324 can be alternatingly passed through the firstset of loops 320 and the second set of loops 322 to attach the backingstructure 310 to the surface 326. In some aspects, additional hexagonalattachment systems 302 can be utilized in place of either or both of thefirst set of loops 320 or the second set of loops 322.

FIG. 3 also illustrates an example of how a piece of equipment orgear—such as holster 314—can be attached via the hexagonal attachmentsystem 302. FIG. 4 further illustrates the holster 314 attached. Anattachment member 312 can be routed along an axis 318 (FIG. 3) through aplurality of openings 304 in an attachment platform 308. The attachmentmember 312 can interact with features of the holster 314, such as loops316, to hold the holster 314 in place with respect to the attachmentplatform 308. Although the attachment member 312 is depicted as a pieceseparate from the holster 314 in FIGS. 3 and 4, the attachment member312 may include any suitable attachment mechanism, including a hook onthe holster 314 or an attachment member 312 that is otherwise secured tothe holster 314, such as by stitching or snaps.

FIG. 5 illustrates an arrangement of openings 504 (e.g., first throughseventh openings 504 a-504 g) for a hexagonal attachment system 502 inaccordance with embodiments. The openings 504 can be hexagonally-shaped.However, the openings 504 are not limited to a hexagonal shape and maybe any suitable shape, including round, circular, or polygonal. Theopenings 504 may be arranged so as to resemble a honeycomb pattern. Theopenings 504 may be arranged in patterns having other distinguishingfeatures. For example, the openings 504 may form a pattern ofoverlapping adjacent columns. The openings 504 may form a pattern inwhich at least one hexagonal opening 504 g from the plurality ofhexagonal openings 504 a-504 g is positioned such that each side of thehexagonal opening 504 g is adjacent to a parallel side of anotherhexagonal opening 504 a-504 f of the plurality of hexagonal openings 504a-504 g. The openings 504 may form a staggered pattern.

The openings 504 can be separated by a plurality of interconnected links506. Each link 506 may extend along and between adjacent sides of a pairof adjacent openings 504. For example, a link 506 may extend along andbetween adjacent sides of a pair of adjacent hexagonally-shaped openings504 g and 504 b. Each link 506 may join at least one other link 506 nearcorners of adjacent openings 504.

The openings 504 may form a hexagonal pattern. For example, the openings504 may be arranged in a pattern corresponding to a hexagon 550. As anillustrative example, the openings 504 a-504 f depicted in FIG. 5 arearranged such that a center of each opening 504 a-504 f is positioned ata respective corner 552 a-552 f of the hexagon 550 (although in someembodiments, the hexagon 550 may instead be demarcated by corners 552a-552 f that correspond to akin edges or other features of the openings504 other than the centers). Further openings 504 may also be present,such as the seventh opening 504 g depicted in the center of the hexagon550 or other openings 504 beyond the periphery of the hexagon 550 (notshown in FIG. 5, but may be appreciated with reference to FIGS. 6-11).

The hexagon 550 may be a regular hexagon. The hexagon 550 may have afirst pair of parallel sides 554, a second pair of parallel sides 556,and a third pair of parallel sides 558. The openings 504 may be arrangedto allow an attachment member (such as the attachment member 312depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4) to pass through multiple of the openings 504in any direction parallel or perpendicular to any of the pairs ofparallel sides 554, 556, 558. As illustrative examples of such paralleldirections, an attachment member may be oriented parallel to theparallel sides 554 (e.g., passing through first opening 504 a and secondopening 504 b; or passing through sixth opening 504 f, seventh opening504 g, and third opening 504 c; or passing through fourth opening 504 dand fifth opening 504 e), parallel to the parallel sides 556 (e.g.,passing through second opening 504 b and third opening 504 c; or passingthrough first opening 504 a, seventh opening 504 g, and fourth opening504 d; or passing through fifth opening 504 e and sixth opening 504 f),or parallel to the parallel sides 558 (e.g., passing through sixthopening 504 f and first opening 504 a; or passing through fifth opening504 e, seventh opening 504 g, and second opening 504 b; or passingthrough fourth opening 504 d and third opening 504 c). As illustrativeexamples of such perpendicular directions, an attachment member may beoriented perpendicular to the parallel sides 554 (e.g., passing throughfirst opening 504 a and fifth opening 504 e; or passing through fourthopening 504 d and second opening 504 b), perpendicular to the parallelsides 556 (e.g., passing through fifth opening 504 e and third opening504 c; or passing through second opening 504 b and sixth opening 504 f),or perpendicular to the parallel sides 558 (e.g., passing through sixthopening 504 f and fourth opening 504 d; or passing through third opening504 c and first opening 504 a).

In some aspects, the openings 504 can have uniform dimensions. Aside-to-side width can correspond to a distance between two parallelsides of the hexagonal opening 504, as denoted by D1 in FIG. 5. Theside-to-side width may be wider than a width of an attachment member(such as the attachment member 312 depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4) so as tofacilitate weaving the attachment member in a direction parallel to thetwo parallel sides of the hexagonally-shaped opening. A corner-to-cornerwidth can correspond to a distance between two corners positioned onopposite ends of a hexagonal opening 504 along a bisecting axis of thehexagonal opening 504, as denoted D2 in FIG. 5. The corner-to-corner maybe wider than a width of an attachment member so as to facilitateweaving in a direction perpendicular to the bisecting axis. Corners of ahexagonal opening can have a defined inner radius, such as denoted as R1in FIG. 5. Such rounded corners can reduce a sharpness of a transitionbetween adjacent edges of a hexagonal opening 504 and reduce alikelihood of tearing at the corner. A link width, such as denoted as D3in FIG. 5, can indicate a width of a link 506 separating parallel sidesof adjacent hexagonal openings 504. The openings 504 may be sized toaccommodate attachment members that are compatible with MOLLE systemsand/or attachment members that are different. Providing a hexagonalattachment system 502 dimensioned to be compatible with MOLLE-compatiblegear can allow owners of existing MOLLE-compatible gear to utilize thehexagonal attachment system 502 without replacing such gear. Forexample, in a particular embodiment, the arrangement of openings 504 mayinclude a side-to-side width D1 of 1 inch (2.54 centimeters), acorner-to-corner width D2 of 1.14 inch (2.896 centimeters), an innerradius R1 of 0.25 inch (0.635 centimeter) inch, and/or a link width D3of 0.32 inch (0.8128 centimeter). A corner-to-corner width D2 of 1.14inch (2.896 centimeters) can permit passage of a typicalMOLLE-compatible attachment member (e.g., commonly 1 inch wide (2.54centimeters)) to pass through openings 504 in any direction parallel toany parallel sides 554, 556, 558 of the hexagon 550 for attachingMOLLE-compatible gear by the hexagonal attachment system 502. Aside-to-side width D1 of 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) can permit passage ofa more slender attachment member (e.g., 0.5 inches wide (1.27centimeters)) to pass through openings 504 in any directionperpendicular and/or parallel to any parallel sides 554, 556, 558 of thehexagon 550 for attaching MOLLE-compatible gear by the hexagonalattachment system 502. An inner radius R1 of 0.25 inch (0.635centimeter) may improve durability or reduce a rate of wear or tearingof the hexagonal attachment system 502. A link width D3 of 0.32 inch(0.8128 centimeter) may provide sufficient load-bearing strength for thelinks 506 to support attached gear.

FIG. 6-11 illustrate a variety of orientations at which equipment can bemounted via a hexagonal attachment system 602. The variety oforientations possible can permit equipment to be attached at a certainposition and orientation so as to facilitate ease of access at a time ofuse. As may be appreciated by reference to FIG. 6-11, by virtue of usinga hexagonal arrangement of openings, equipment can be attached at anyorientation corresponding to an hour of the clock. For example, in FIG.6, a holster 614 a can be mounted pointing upward towards the 12 o'clockdirection or a holster 614 b can be mounted pointing downward toward a 6o'clock direction. An attachment member (such as the attachment member312 depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4) routed along an axis 618 through openings604 in the attachment platform 608 may facilitate such attachedorientations of either holster 614 a or 614 b. The axis 618 maycorrespond to a direction parallel to a side of the hexagon 550described with respect to FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, routing an attachment member along an axis 718(e.g., in a direction perpendicular to a side of the hexagon 550described with respect to FIG. 5) can facilitate mounting a holster 714a pointed toward a 1 o'clock direction and/or mounting a holster 714 bpointing in a 7 o'clock direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, routing an attachment member along an axis 818(e.g., in a direction parallel to a side of the hexagon 550 describedwith respect to FIG. 5) can facilitate mounting a holster 814 a pointedtoward a 2 o'clock direction and/or mounting a holster 814 b pointing inan 8 o'clock direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, routing an attachment member along an axis 918(e.g., in a direction perpendicular to a side of the hexagon 550described with respect to FIG. 5) can facilitate mounting a holster 914a pointed toward a 3 o'clock direction and/or mounting a holster 914 bpointing in a 9 o'clock direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, routing an attachment member along an axis1018 (e.g., in a direction parallel to a side of the hexagon 550described with respect to FIG. 5) can facilitate mounting a holster 1014a pointed toward a 4 o'clock direction and/or mounting a holster 1014 bpointing in a 10 o'clock direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, routing an attachment member along an axis1118 (e.g., in a direction perpendicular to a side of the hexagon 550described with respect to FIG. 5) can facilitate mounting a holster 1114a pointed toward a 5 o'clock direction and/or mounting a holster 1114 bpointing in a 11 o'clock direction.

As may be appreciated with reference to various of the previouslydiscussed figures, an attachment member (such as the attachment member312 depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4) may be weaved in any suitable manner tosecure gear to an attachment platform. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 4, an attachment member 312 may pass through an opening 304,through an attachment feature of gear (such as loop 316 of holster 314),and back through the same opening 304 without weaving over a link 306 inthe process. In some aspects, an attachment member may be weavedalternatingly over and under consecutive links, such as may beappreciated with reference to the axes 718 depicted in FIG. 7. In someaspects, attachment members may be weaved so as to pass over or undertwo or more links at a time, such as may be appreciated with referenceto the axes 818 depicted in FIG. 8.

As may be appreciated with reference to various of the previouslydiscussed figures, a hexagonal attachment system can include a number ofconnections for securing an attachment platform to a backing structure.For example, links 206 may be secured between openings 204 of theattachment platform 208 with the backing structure 210 described abovewith respect to FIG. 2. Non-limiting examples of such connectionsinclude the round (e.g., circular) stitch-downs 560 or the triangularstitch-downs 562 depicted in FIG. 5. The triangular stitch downs 562 maybe triangular in shape and may be arranged so that each corner of thetriangular stitch-down 562 is directed at a proximate corner of ahexagonal opening 504. In some embodiments, a round stitch-down 560 maybe less complex and/or smaller than a triangular stitch-down 562 and yetstill provide adequate support for the attachment platform.

Although including connections such as stitch downs 560 or 562 mayimprove stability, the connections between openings 504 may also limitthe number of directions in which an attachment member (such as theattachment member 312 depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4) may be routed to attachgear via the hexagonal attachment system 502. For example, in thearrangement depicted in FIG. 5, the connections such as stitch downs 560or 562 may prevent the member from passing in a direction along a lengthof a link 506 (such as between first opening 504 a and third opening 504c) while still permitting passage of the member in a direction across awidth of the link 506 (such as between seventh opening 504 g and secondopening 504 b).

Furthermore, although the connections are depicted in FIG. 5 as acombination of round stitch-downs 560 and triangular stitch-downs 562,the connections may alternatively or additionally include all roundstitch-downs 560, all triangular stitch-downs 562, or other forms ofconnections including bonding, fusing, other stitching, grommets, and/orsnaps. Snaps may provide detachable connections, thereby selectivelyproviding additional support when desired, yet maintaining thefunctionality of being able to pass attachment members in otherdirections that would be blocked by the connections if in place.

As may be appreciated with reference to various of the previouslydiscussed figures, arrangements of hexagonally shaped openings maydiffer as to an orientation of hexagonally shaped openings relative to atop side of an attachment platform. For example, as may be appreciatedwith reference to FIG. 4, in some aspects, a corner of a hexagonallyshaped opening 304 faces a top side of an attachment platform 308. In acontrasting example that may be appreciated with reference to FIG. 6, aflat side of a hexagonally shaped opening 604 may face a top side of anattachment platform 608. In some aspects, as is the case with respect tothese two examples of FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, one extreme orientation may beattained by rotating the other extreme orientation by 90 degrees. Insome aspects, an attachment platform may include an arrangement ofhexagonally shaped openings that are arranged at a skewed orientationfalling between the extremes described and depicted with respect toFIGS. 4 and 6.

Rotating between one extreme orientation and another may alter whichdirections are blocked by a set of connections (such as stitch downs 560and 562 depicted in FIG. 5). For example, the arrangement of stitchdowns 560 and 562 depicted in FIG. 5 may permit the routing of anattachment member along axes corresponding to the 12 o'clock, 2 o'clock,and 4 o'clock directions relative to a vest (e.g., directions shown inFIGS. 6, 8, and 10), while preventing routing along axes of the 1o'clock, 3 o'clock, and 5 o'clock directions (e.g., directions shown inFIGS. 7, 9, and 11). However, if the arrangement of stitch downs 560 and562 depicted in FIG. 5 is rotated by 90 degrees (e.g., so that cornersinstead of flat sides of the hexagonal openings 504 face upward), therotated arrangement may instead permit the routing of an attachmentmember along axes corresponding to the 1 o'clock, 3 o'clock, and 5o'clock directions relative to a vest (e.g., directions shown in FIGS.7, 9, and 11), while preventing routing along axes of the 12 o'clock, 2o'clock, and 4 o'clock directions (e.g., directions shown in FIGS. 6, 8,and 10).

Attachment System Fabrication

Attachment systems can be made from a variety of materials. For example,as noted previously, the attachment platform 208 and/or the backingstructure 210 can include any suitable load-bearing material, including,but not limited to, nylon, rubber, and extruded polymers. Other types ofattachment systems (such as PALS loops or other MOLLE-compatibleattachment systems) may also include these or other materials.Significantly, in the course of developing attachment systems, thepresent inventors have determined that attachment systems withadvantageous qualities can be produced with utilization of coatingsapplied to other base materials. Particularly well-suited materials forsuch coatings may include various materials (hereinafter called“P-materials” or “P-blends” for the sake of simplicity) that includepolyurea. Various suitable P-materials are commercially available underthe tradename Linex®. Various P-materials are polyurea-containing hybridelastomer compounds. Indeed, some P-materials may be hybrid elastomercompounds that contain polyurea blended with other substances. Manytypes of P-materials include polyurethane blended with the polyurea andmay be characterized as polyurethane/polyurea hybrids orpolyurethane/polyurea blends or polyurethane/polyurea hybrid blends.Examples of P-materials that include polyurethane may include, but arenot limited to, P-materials known as Linex® XS-100, Linex® XS-152,Linex® XS-252, Linex® SE-500, Linex® PX-2100, and PAXCON®. Otherexamples of P-materials may include, but are not limited to, P-materialsknown as Linex® XS-310 (aromatic polyurea), Linex® XS-350 (aromaticpolyurea), Linex® XS-470 (aromatic polyurea), Linex® XS-650 (aliphaticpolyurea), Linex® ULTRA (aliphatic polyurea), and ASPART-X (aliphaticpolyurea). Other suitable P-materials may also be available from othersources, including, but not limited to the company operating under thetrade name Rhino Linings®, which produces e.g., materials known as TUFFSTUFF, RHINO PP1195, RHINO PP2190, RHINOGUARD 2185, and RHINOGUARD 2195.

Various effects for attachment systems may be obtained individually orin combination by including the coating. In various embodiments,including a coating (e.g., of P-material) may reduce a propensity ofattachment system features (e.g., loops 110 described with reference toFIG. 1, stretchable web platforms of attachment systems 112 describedwith reference to FIG. 1, or links 206 that define boundaries of theopenings 204 described with reference to FIG. 2) to sag or stretch underload of attached gear. In various embodiments, including the coating canprovide increases in tensile and/or shear strength of the finishedassembly in comparison to the base material in the absence of thecoating. Moreover, the coating in various embodiments may be appliedwhile still maintaining—or without significantlycompromising—advantageous flexibility characteristics that may beexhibited by the base material when independent of the coating.

In various embodiments, the coating when included may provide comparableor improved characteristics in comparison to an arrangement that insteadutilizes much larger or bulkier additional layers of fabric or othermaterial for reinforcement. As an illustrative example, in certaintesting performed by the present inventors, different instances of anattachment system featuring a hexagonal arrangement of openings in abase layer were constructed with different forms of reinforcement andload-tested. Each instance featured the same size and arrangement ofopenings. A first instance included a construction of N1000 nyloncordura coated with P-material (specifically, Linex® XS-100 was used inthe testing). A second instance included N1000 nylon cordura combinedwith N500 nylon fabric. A third instance included N1680 ballistic nyloncordura combined with N500 nylon fabric. A fourth instance includedN1680 Thermoplastic Polyurethane (“TPU”)-coated nylon combined with N500nylon fabric.

Each instance was tested for what may be termed “parallel pull strength”and “perpendicular pull strength.” Parallel pull strength was tested togauge a strength of the attachment platform against attached gear beingpulled in a direction substantially parallel to the attachment platform.For example, for a vest incorporating the attachment platform on a frontpanel, the parallel pull strength may correspond to the attachmentplatform's ability to withstand attached gear being pulled upward,downward, leftward, rightward, or some other direction of pull within oralong a reference plane in which the attachment platform is situated.For testing parallel pull strength, a pair of 1 inch (2.54 cm) webbingstrips (e.g., approximating a common size of attachment member thatwould be likely to be used to attach pouches or other gear to theattachment platform) were respectively wrapped or looped about links atopposite sides of a particular opening. One of these wrapped or loopedwebbing strips was pulled away from the other until failure occurredabout the opening of the attachment platform. The maximum load appliedprior to failure was recorded as the parallel pull strength.

In contrast, perpendicular pull strength was tested to gauge a strengthof the attachment platform against attached gear being pulled in adirection substantially perpendicular to the attachment platform. Forexample, for a vest incorporating the attachment platform on a frontpanel, the perpendicular pull strength may correspond to the attachmentplatform's ability to withstand attached gear being pulled outward fromthe attachment platform, such as in a forward (or backward) directionaway from the wearer, e.g., perpendicular, transverse, or otherwisenon-parallel to a reference plane in which the attachment platform issituated. For testing perpendicular pull strength, the attachmentplatform was folded in half so that a link near the center of theattachment platform was presented near the fold line. The attachmentplatform was secured in this folded position. A 1 inch (2.54 cm) webbingstrip (e.g., approximating a common size of attachment member that wouldbe likely to be used to attach pouches or other gear to the attachmentplatform) was wrapped or looped about the presented link near the foldline and pulled until failure occurred in the presented link of theattachment platform. The maximum load applied prior to failure wasrecorded as the perpendicular pull strength.

Results of the parallel pull strength and perpendicular pull strengthtests for the aforementioned four specific instances are presented inthe following table:

Perpendicular Parallel Pull Strength Pull Strength No Item (Load inN/cm) (Load in N/cm) 1 N1000 Cordura with Linex ® XS- 610.47 504.8 100Spray 2 N1000 Cordura with N500 552.11 309.4 3 N1680 Ballistic Nylonwith N500 669.79 134.84 4 N1680 TPU coated Nylon with 592.81 289.79 N500

As may be appreciated, adding the P-material coating to the N1000material resulted in equal or better performance of combining N1000 orhigher den nylon fabrics with N500 nylon fabrics. Although Linex® XS-100was the specific P-material used in these specific tests, otherP-materials may be utilized and may provide suitable performance.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show one example of a component 1201 of an attachmentsystem 1200 that includes a coating 1203. FIGS. 12 and 13 respectivelyillustrate a front view and a rear view of the component 1201. Theillustrated component 1201 corresponds to an attachment platform, whichmay be an example of the attachment platform 208 discussed with respectto FIG. 2. For example, the attachment platform 1201 is shown in FIGS.12 and 13 with links 1206 that form boundaries between openings 1204.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the coating 1203 is presenton a rear side 1205 of the component 1201. However, the coating 1203 maybe present on any surface of the component 1201, including on the rearside 1205, on a front side 1207, on interior surfaces 1209 between thefront side 1207 and rear side 1205 (e.g., on surfaces of the links 1206extending through the component and forming through-edges of theopenings 1204), or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, presentingthe coating 1203 on one side (e.g., rear side 1205) may provide strengthor other characteristics for the component 1201 yet still permit viewingof a pattern or other visually discernable feature on the opposite side(e.g., front side 1207). For example, the component 1201 shown in FIGS.12-13 may be incorporated into a vest 200 (FIG. 2) with the front side1207 facing outward from the vest 200 (e.g., so that a camoflaugepattern on the front side 1207 is visible to a viewer of the vest 200when worn) and with the rear side 1205 facing toward other material ofthe vest 200 (e.g., so that the coating 1203 is not readily visuallyobservable by a viewer of the vest 200).

FIG. 14 illustrates a vest 1400 outfitted with other attachment systemcomponents having reinforcing coating according to embodiments. Forexample, in addition to (or in lieu of) the attachment platform 1201,the vest 1400 may include attachment system features such as loops 1410(e.g., which may be examples of loops 110 described with reference toFIG. 1) and/or stretchable web platforms 1412 (e.g., which may beexamples of the stretchable web platforms of attachment systems 112described with reference to FIG. 1). The loops 1410 and stretchable webplatforms 1412 are each shown with coating 1403 on outward-facingsurfaces (e.g., loop-outer surfaces 1415 of the loops 1410), althoughthe coating 1403 may additionally or alternatively be positioned oninward-facing surfaces (e.g., loop-inner surfaces 1417 of the loops1410) and/or through-surfaces (e.g., loop-edge surfaces 1419) extendingbetween inward-facing surfaces and outward facing surfaces. Hence, insome embodiments, the coating 1403 may face outwardly from the vest 1400(e.g., so as to be visible), and in some embodiments, the coating 1403may additionally or alternatively face away from an exterior of the vest1400 (e.g., so that at least a portion of the coating 1403 is notvisible).

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an example process 1500 that may beutilized to produce attachment systems featuring a reinforcing coatingaccording to embodiments. As illustrative examples, the process 1500 maybe utilized to fabricate the attachment platform of FIGS. 12-13 and/orthe vest 1400 of FIG. 14.

The process 1500 at 1510 includes providing a base material for anattachment system. By “providing,” we mean purchasing, manufacturing,taking from stock or any other action that results in obtaining and/orhaving the base material. Examples of suitable materials for basematerials include, but are not limited to nylon (e.g., high denier orother varieties such as 100D, 300D, 500D, 1050D,), plastic, rubber,extruded polymers, mesh, resin-reinforced materials. The base materialmay be formed using any suitable construction method, and may forexample, include knit material, woven material, non-woven material, orsome combination thereof. The base material may be of any suitable formfactor from which attachment system features can be formed or arealready formed. As non-limiting examples, the base material maycorrespond to mesh,a sheet or panel into which holes are to be cut orhave already been cut, a knit netting or other structure from which anarray of apertures or other features for an attachment system can be orare already formed, fabric strips to be combined or already combined toform loops or other attachment system features, or rigid members orsemi-rigid structures combinable or combined into an attachment systemlattice. In some embodiments, rigid or semi-rigid base material may beparticularly well-suited for attachment systems for attaching gear towalls, vehicle interior panels, vehicle exterior body components, orother rigid or semi-rigid surfaces.

The process 1500 at 1520 includes applying a coating to the basematerial. The coating can include a suitable P-material. The coating canbe applied by any suitable method, such as spraying, brushing, rolling,dipping, or other application method. In various embodiments, thecoating can be provided as a mixture of different compounds that arerouted through separate hoses (e.g., from separate drums) and thencombined shortly before or during spraying (e.g., via a double nozzlearranged to cause the separate streams to combine and mix together intothe final coating compound). In some embodiments, multiple passes orsprays may be utilized, for example, to obtain a target thickness,uniformity, or other characteristic of the coating. The coating may beapplied to any combination of surfaces of the base material, including,but not limited to a front, to a back, or to both the front and the backof the base material.

The process 1500 at 1530 includes allowing the coating to cure. Invarious embodiments, the coating may cure rapidly. For example, variousP-materials are known to initially cure within approximately 15 secondsafter spraying. Such initial curing may allow the coating to besufficiently solid to permit handling without causing the coating topull away from the base material. In some embodiments, a longer periodof time (such as 24 to 48 hours) may be utilized to allow a full cure ofthe coating (e.g., to cure sufficiently that subsequent handling willnot risk separation between the base material and coating).

The process 1500 at 1540 includes forming attachment system featuresfrom the base material. This may include any method of forming holes orother geometry relative to the base material. For example,laser-cutting, water-jet cutting, die-cutting, or other cutting methodsmay be utilized to cut openings through the base material to form thegeometry of the attachment platform described previously herein. Asother examples, the operation at 1540 may correspond to forming loops1410 or stretchable web platforms 1412 from the base material.

In some embodiments, the operation 1540 may occur before operation 1520.For example, openings may be cut through a base material before thecoating is applied. As other examples, the base material may be formedinto loops 1410 or stretchable web platforms 1412 before the coating1403 is applied.

In some embodiments, the operation 1540 occurs after operation 1520. Forexample, the base material may be formed into loops 1410 or stretchableweb platforms 1412 after the coating 1403 is applied. In anotherillustrative example, openings 1204 may be cut through a base materialafter the coating 1203 has been applied. In some embodiments, insteadcutting openings before the coating has been applied may allow thecoating to be sprayed through the openings and permit the coating toreach both a front and a back side of the base material. In embodimentsin which it is desired to limit the coating to one side (e.g., rear side1205) of the base material, it may therefore be desireable to cut theopenings after spraying the coating so that excess sprayed coating isnot passing through formed openings to reach the side of the basematerial that is to be maintained free of coating. Maintaining a sidefree of coating may permit printing or other treatments to the uncoatedside that would be inhibited or prevented in the presence of coating.Moreover, in some embodiments, formed openings may allow spray pressureto pass through the base material and act on an opposite side in amanner that causes the base material to flap or otherwise makeconsistent application of the coating difficult, and for this furtherreason, it may be advantageous to cut openings after applying thecoating rather than before.

The process 1500 at 1550 includes mounting attachment system featuresformed from coated base material. For example, the attachment platform1201 having openings 1204 and coating 1203 may be sewn, glued, strapped,buckled, weaved, or otherwise secured to the vest 200. The process 1500at 1550 may correspond to mounting attachment system features formedfrom the coated base material to any suitable load-bearing platform. Asnon-limiting examples, the suitable load-bearing platforms may includecomponents connected with or comprising at least a portion of a garment,clothing, pants, a shirt, a jacket, a vest, a girdle, a pack, a pouch, aholster, a sheath, an ammunition clip, gear, a wall, a vehicle interiorpanel or other interior part, a vehicle exterior component or otherexterior part, or other load-bearing equipment and/or an accessorythereof.

In some embodiments, the operations at 1550 and at 1540 may includecommon actions. For example, a strip of webbing at least partiallycoated with P-material may be sewn to the vest 1400 at regular intervalsto both form the loops 1410 at 1540 and mount the attachment systemfeatures at 1550.

In some embodiments, the operation at 1540 may be performed withoutseparately performing an operation at 1550. As a non-limiting example,if a wall with an attachment system is to be produced, openings may beformed in a panel of base material corresponding to the wall to form theattachment features in the wall without involving a separate mountingoperation at 1550 for coupling the openings to the wall.

In a particular illustrative example, the process at 1510 includesproviding a sheet of 1050 ballistic nylon cordura approximately 60inches (1.54 meters) long and 36 inches (0.91 meters) across. At 1520,Linex® XS-100 subcomponents maintained in separate drums are routed forspraying together through a dual nozzle into an environment maintainedbetween 50° F. and 95° F. (between 10° C. and 35° C.). The combinedspray is applied to the nylon sheet with the nozzle approximately 36inches (0.91 meters m) from the sheet. The combined spray is appliedwith a spray overlap width of approximately 50% overlap betweensuccessive rows or columns applied. Completing a first coat may takeapproximately 2 minutes. A second coat may be applied (e.g., with likeapplication criteria), for example, to fill in any discontinuities inthe coating. The thickness of the coating resulting from operations at1550 may be between 15 and 25 mil or thousandths of an inch (between0.381 mm and 0.635 mm). At 1530, the coated nylon sheet is left alonefor an appropriate amount of time after spraying to permit initialcuring, and in some cases may then be moved out of a spraying station tosit in a curing station for a suitable amount of time to adequately cureto permit cutting operations. At 1540, the cured coated nylon sheet issubjected to a laser cutter to cut out the openings. The laser cutter isoperated at appropriate conditions to prevent melting of the coating.Around the portion of the coated sheet in which the openings are formed,the laser cutter also cuts a pattern to form the perimeter boundary ofthe sheet, which may include straps or other attachment features.

At 1550, the cut coated sheet is attached to a vest or other piece ofequipment, such as by cinching and securing straps of the sheet about aportion of the vest.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the claims.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus,while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modificationsand alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereofare shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit thedisclosure to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructionsand equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure,as defined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in thecontext of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both thesingular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearlycontradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,”and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning“including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term“connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within,attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening.Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as ashorthand method of referring individually to each separate valuefalling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein and eachseparate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. All methods described herein can beperformed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and allexamples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, isintended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the disclosure anddoes not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe disclosure.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is intended to be understoodwithin the context as used in general to present that an item, term,etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y,and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to,and should not, imply that certain embodiments require at least one ofX, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.

Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate and the inventors intend for the disclosure to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisdisclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

All references, including publications, patent applications and patents,cited herein or in any contemporaneously filed Information DisclosureStatements are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as ifeach reference were individually and specifically indicated to beincorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of fabricating an attachment system forreceiving MOLLE-compatible gear relative to a load-bearing platform, themethod comprising: applying a coating to a sheet of base material, thecoating comprising material comprising polyurea; cutting a plurality ofopenings in the sheet of base material so that the openings are arrangedin a repeating hexagonal pattern; mounting an attachment platform to theload-bearing platform, the attachment platform comprising the sheet ofbase material having the coating and the plurality of openings arrangedin the repeating hexagonal pattern.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe cutting is performed after the applying the coating.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein the applying the coating to the sheet of basematerial comprises applying the coating to a rear side of the sheet ofbase material without applying the coating to a front side of the sheetof base material.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the mounting theattachment platform to the load-bearing platform comprises mounting theattachment platform so that the rear side of the sheet of base materialfaces the load-bearing platform.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thesheet of base material comprises nylon.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the load-bearing platform is connected with or comprises atleast a portion of a vest assembly such that the mounting the attachmentplatform to the load-bearing platform comprises mounting the attachmentplatform to the vest assembly.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thematerial of the coating comprises a hybrid elastomer compound thatcontains polyurea blended with other substances.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein the material of the coating comprises a polyurea/polyurethaneblend.
 9. A vest assembly, comprising: a front panel; a rear panel; ashoulder yoke attached to the front panel and the rear panel so thatwhen the shoulder yoke is worn by a wearer, the front panel ispositioned on a front of the wearer and the rear panel is positioned ona rear of the wearer; a load-bearing platform connected with orcomprising at least a portion of at least one of the front panel or therear panel; and a substrate comprising: a) an attachment platformmounted to the load-bearing platform, the attachment platform comprisinga coating comprising polyurea; and b) a plurality of openings formed inthe attachment platform and arranged in a repeating hexagonal patternconfigured to facilitate attachment of MOLLE-compatible accessories tothe attachment platform.
 10. The vest of claim 9, wherein the coatingcomprises a hybrid elastomer compound that contains polyurea blendedwith other substances.
 11. The vest of claim 9, wherein the coatingcomprises a polyurea/polyurethane blend.
 12. The vest of claim 9,wherein the substrate comprises a first side and a second side, whereinthe coating is present on the first side and not present on the secondside.
 13. The vest of claim 12, wherein the first side is mounted to theload-bearing platform so as to face outwardly from the vest.
 14. Asubstrate for an attachment system, the substrate comprising: a) anattachment platform; b) a coating applied to the attachment platform andcomprising polyurea; and c) a plurality of openings formed in theattachment platform and arranged in a repeating hexagonal patternconfigured to facilitate attachment of accessories to the attachmentplatform by weaving through multiple of the openings along any of atleast three differing axes.
 15. The substrate of claim 9, wherein thecoating comprises a hybrid elastomer compound that contains polyureablended with other substances.
 16. The substrate of claim 9, wherein thecoating comprises a polyurea/polyurethane blend.
 17. The substrate ofclaim 9, wherein the attachment platform comprises nylon material. 18.The substrate of claim 9, wherein the attachment platform is connectedwith or comprises at least a portion of an article of load-bearingequipment.
 19. The substrate of claim 18, wherein the article ofload-bearing equipment comprises at least one of a vest assembly, agarment, clothing, pants, a shirt, a jacket, a vest, a girdle, a pack, apouch, a holster, a sheath, an ammunition clip, gear, a wall, a vehicleinterior panel or other interior part, a vehicle exterior component orother exterior part.
 20. The substrate of claim 19, wherein the articleof load-bearing equipment comprises a vest assembly.